Wallowa County Chieftain
wallowa.com
THREE
minutes with ...
JUSTIN
DOHERTY
Public Works, City of Joseph
NEED
Continued from Page A1
Dan DeBoie, former county
commissioner, also shared the
story of his late wife, Mary,
who was a gifted mental health
counselor — and struggled
with bi-polar disorder.
“In the last two years of her
life, she was hospitalized three
times,” DeBoie said. “She
was the hardest working, most
honorable person I’ve every
known. Her kids ... were at the
top of her chart, and her clients
were the next on her chart —
and they knew that.”
One in five adults experi-
ences a mental health condi-
tion according to the National
Alliance on Mental Illness.
Lifetime prevalence of men-
tal health issues is almost 50
percent.
“I think every single one of
us in this room know a man,
woman, child or ourselves
who were changed forever
by a physical, mental health
or addiction diagnosis,” said
Chantay Jeff, executive direc-
tor of the center for well-
ness. “Every single heart sit-
ting in this room has a story
to tell. All the roads we’ve
been down, all the trials, all
the tribulations, all the suc-
cesses, all the triumphs, all the
tragedies.”
The journey toward an
integrated health services
center has been decades
in the making. The mental
health services that eventu-
ally became the nonprofit cen-
ter for wellness began in Wal-
lowa County in 1989. The
retinue of services has devel-
oped to include 14 different
mental health programs, sup-
ported by 70 employees,
Local medical and men-
tal health professionals, child
care professionals, those pro-
viding services for elderly
–– all have been dreaming of
combining services for years
according to former center
director Stephen Kliewer.
“We’re here because we
have a dream of a program
News/From Page A1
Justin Doherty, 38, of Joseph has lived in Wallowa County
his entire life. He is the son of Lynn Collins of Enterprise and
Tim Doherty of Twin Falls, Idaho.
He graduated from Joseph High School in 1998 and
immediately started working at the Joseph Timber sawmill,
where he remained until the mill closed in 2002. He mar-
ried his high school sweetheart, Carolyn Dunning, in 2000
and the couple has one child, Trevor Cody, 14. Trevor Cody
attends his father’s Alma Mater — Joseph High School.
After the mill closed, Doherty went to work for Valley
Bronze in Joseph pouring metal and remained there until
2017 when he took the job as public works utility worker for
the City of Joseph. His wife, Carolyn, works as a department
specialist for the Wallowa County Treasurer’s office.
Both Justin and Carolyn enjoy volunteering in their
community. Justin is a captain at the Joseph Volunteer Fire
Department and Carolyn volunteers at the Joseph Schools
assisting in various programs and recently began attending
FFA Alumni meetings.
The family enjoys all of the outdoor opportunities the
county provides: hunting, fishing, hiking and more.
Q. Why have you chosen to remain in Wallowa
County for your entire life?
A. It’s home. I’d be lost somewhere else. The people, the
community, friends, family — they’re all here. I could go on
for days listing the things that make this home.
February 7, 2018
Q. What has Wallowa County taught you?
A. Wallowa County teaches you a good way of living and
how to learn. You learn new things up here by learning from
other people — life examples. I read a lot, but what I read
from a book seems like “fiction” to me — a story. When you
learn from life examples — that seems more true to me. Wal-
lowa County also teaches you to be frugal; to conserve and to
enjoy the things that are free here — the outdoors, the moun-
tains, the hunting and fishing ... Wallowa County also has a
quality of time. You have the time to spend with your fam-
ily, and time is so much slower and more realistic. I couldn’t
manage living in a bigger city.
Q. Can you recall the first book you checked out of
the library for yourself, and can you recommend a
book for us to read that you’ve read recently?
A. I can’t recall my first book. I remember a book that meant a
lot to me. I saw the story first as a movie when I was five or six,
and I read the book later when I was about 14 –– S.E. Hinton’s
“The Outsiders.” I still remember the Robert Frost poem from
the book, “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” A book I’ve read recently
that I recommend is the second in a series by Craig Lesley. One
of my favorite books was “Winter Kill,” and Lesley has writ-
ten a second in that series called “Riversong.” Lesley thanks
Rich Wandschneider for helping him with the research on that,
and much of the book talks about our area. I recommend both
books. (Both available at The Bookloft or the library).
Ellen Bishop/For the Chieftain
Bidders examined silent auction items carefully before making sheets at the “Hearts for
Health” fundraising event Feb. 4 at Wallowa Lake Lodge, sponsored by Wallowa Valley Cen-
ter for Wellness.
that will really change the
face of Wallowa County in
terms of health care,” Kliewer
said.
In all that time, adminis-
trators have never asked for
money from the community.
“We have a $4 million
budget.” said Jett. “We exist
almost entirely on the grants
that we write. We have some
really crazy-talented grant
writers.”
Now, as they prepare for
the $3.5 million center, fund-
raising that proves the com-
mitment of the community
has become necessary.
Much of the funding for
the project will come from
foundation donations.
“Foundations are very
interested to see what your
community does,” Mike Wil-
son, the nonprofit consultant
assisting in the capital cam-
paign. Wilson is a senior asso-
ciate for Westby Associates,
which also helped an Elgin
clinic meet its goals.
“We know that a lot of
the foundations ... are very
attracted to participate in this
campaign,” Wilson said.
In addition, the capital
campaign steering committee
will be asking the legislature
for $2 million.
“The work that we’re
doing right now is unpar-
alleled,” said Jett. “People
across the nation are wonder-
ing what is our secret sauce,
and I keep saying, ‘it’s just
what we do.’ We are a com-
munity like no other people
I have ever seen. I am over-
whelmed with gratitude and
thanks that you are all here
supporting our vision.”
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